Feasibility and acceptability of using a meditation app in adults with rheumatic disease.

A pilot study tested whether adults with rheumatic diseases would use a smartphone meditation app (Calm) for at least five minutes daily over 30 days. Of 35 mostly female, well-educated participants who began, 18 completed the full study. Those who finished had higher baseline stress, anxiety, pain, and global disease scores than those who dropped out. Completers averaged 283 total minutes of app use and showed significant improvement in fatigue, with trends toward less stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and pain. The authors conclude that app-based meditation is a feasible non-drug option for improving quality of life and fatigue, but more rigorous research is needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ObjectiveMeditation is a stress-reduction and contemplative technique that can improve emotional distress in people with chronic disease and may be especially beneficial for patients with rheumatic diseases. However, patient access to in-person programs is challenging. The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility/acceptability associated with physician-directed use of a widely available smartphone application (app), Calm©.MethodsIn this single-arm, pre-post intervention study with recruitment over a 10-month period, adults with rheumatic disease were asked to use the app for ≥5 min/day for 30 days. Participants completed sociodemographic surveys and validated health related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaires from the Patient Reported Outcomes Information System (PROMIS) and NIH Toolbox at baseline and 30-days.ResultsThirty-five participants who were mostly well-educated (66% ≥college degree) females (91%) with a mean age of 50 (SD 13) completed baseline questionnaires; 18 participants completed post-study questionnaires ("full completers"). Full completers had higher baseline stress, anxiety, pain, and patient global assessment scores (p's <0.05) compared to partial completers. Full completers who provided data used the app on average for 283 min/30 days (SD 257; n = 16) and showed significant improvements in fatigue (-7.6 T-Score units, p = 0.017), with trends for improvement in perceived stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, self-efficacy for managing symptoms, and pain intensity (p's <0.15).ConclusionsA 30-day meditation, stress-reduction app used by patients with rheumatic disease revealed that this is a feasible non-pharmacologic modality to target HRQL and problematic symptoms like fatigue. More rigorous study on app use and potential effect is needed.